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Chapter 44
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Rise of the cardinal Chapter 45
Xander stalled our departure to Perch for a few days and kept the Lycan pack away from me as best he could until my heat was over. To humans, going into heat made no difference in how they reacted toward me. Their sense of smell could not detect anything. But to other shifters, it was a recipe for disaster. It was hard for Xander to be in my presence without ravishing me—which he frequently did, unable to control himself. I couldn’t imagine what it would have been like for the others should they have smelled me. From what Xander explained, shifter folks went in heat once a year, and they would leave the pack with their mates, should they have had one, and return after four or five days once it had passed. Having the anatomy of a human, I had no such luck as it came monthly, like any typical human. This made me wonder what shifters did when they lived in a human village to find work outside their packs. Xander tried to stay away as much as he could, but I hated being alone in this f
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 46
I pushed the doors to the main underground hall, and they banged loudly on the walls on each side. The echo it created silenced all the rebellion leaders gathered, and they whipped their heads in my direction. “Where is Lord Junco?” Silas followed Xander and me into the hall and sat at the end of the long table. Count Robin, Lord Heron and Lord Swallow looked between themselves nervously. When none of them replied, Silas flattened his hands on the wood surface and repeated my question more severely. “W-we do not know, Princess. Lord Junco took a handful of men and said he would go to the neighbouring village to ask for more food to feed the shifters who had arrived and never returned. We sent men to the town to enquire, but upon their return, they said that the village never had the visit of Junco, and the only horse trails that were visible were heading north.” Spoke Lord Heron with unease. I looked over at Xander, my face becoming paler with dread. Junco was going to Osprey city.
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 47
Xander POV We had sprawled a map on the centre of the table, and Silas and I were looking at routes Osprey could take. Silas pressed his finger on a plain between the Red Mountains and Maple. It was in the farming district of White Birch, which separated us from them. “This is where the battle will take place. We should meet in this district section if we both start moving simultaneously. That’s only if Osprey leaves the comfort of his castle. It’s flat and would be the ideal place for a fight. We cannot penetrate Osprey city’s defences if he stays there. We need to draw him out if ever that’s the case.” “I agree. The mountainside surrounding the castle’s wall is too steep to climb, and an attack from the forest lining the south would make us vulnerable to any assaults from the outer wall. If we are to fight Osprey, we need it to happen here, where we have a better chance at having the upper hand.” I scanned the map again. The White Birch plain offered us a straight path to attack,
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 48
Osprey POV I called the scribe after reviewing the draft for the mandatory enlistment summons. They were to be sent out to all the districts that very week. “I don't like it. It will need to be reworked. This is not a proposition but an obligation, and this document offers a choice. Airedah’s citizens will have none.” I handed the draft back to the scribe, and he inclined his head, begging forgiveness for the error. With this mandatory enlistment, I hoped to hit a soft spot in Cressida. Every abled body man of ten years and older must sign up and fight for their country. I knew she would not want children involved in this matter, and it could offer me an edge if she persisted with this ridiculous notion that she could overthrow me. We were the same, her and I. The sooner she realized that, the better it would be for the entire world. The prophecy my ancestor foretold referred to her. I knew it in my mind. All I needed to do was kill the bastard who claimed her before I had that cha
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 49
I had avoided Xander since the incident where I called out to other wielders. I had been dreadfully cold the first few days, shivering even though the hot summer days left everyone sweating and searching for shade. Xander had stayed by my side for as long as he could, warming me until I could finally have my own regular and consistent body heat. But then, duty called him as more and more shifters appeared and, having been proclaimed Lycan King came with its load of responsibilities. Avoiding Xander became easy with everything happening around us, but it didn’t lessen the guilt deep inside my chest. I was ashamed to have drained him to call forth the wielders. I didn’t know how I had done it, which made me even warier about using that sort of power. I realized just how much I still had to learn if I ever wanted to control myself. When Xander left my side for his duties, I moved around the many campsites, inspecting everything and welcoming the rebels. But I mostly spent my time her
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 50
Silas POV I was sitting on my bed when I heard someone knock on my bedroom door. I had finished my tasks for the day and was hopeful of a good night’s rest. I guessed the Faiths had other plans for me that night, or else why would someone call upon me at this hour? I momentarily wondered if it was Lord Swallow who had completed his report and wanted to hand it over so we could look at the logistics in the coming morning. I got up and opened the door. My mouth dropped in surprise at seeing Ida standing there, her fingers in a knot in front of her shirt. Each time I saw her, my heart drummed aggressively inside my chest. When she saw my barely dressed appearance, I noticed her cheeks flushed red, and she turned her head away to look at the empty corridor. I loved the way her cheeks blushed. She really was beautiful, and it sometimes pained me she would never be mine. Ten years ago, my father told me I would wed Cressida Cardinal when she turned twenty, and I felt overjoyed and hono
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 51
I waited by the hot spring for Silas to meet me. He seemed to take his time. Maybe Silas wouldn’t come. Perhaps he had a change of mind and didn’t want to be involved in this. I wouldn’t blame him. Xander could be scary when he puffed up like a big, bad wolf. And after everything that happened, I wouldn’t hold it against Silas to avoid Xander.I shifted my weight from one leg to the other, mussing over the towel and second shirt I had brought. Since Silas was with me, I wouldn’t be going in the water naked. I would keep my shirt to cover most of my body if he needed to come in and grab me. I still had no idea what to expect from this, and all the things that could happen scared me.I moved and sat on a rock that had moss all over it. The mist created by the spring was considerably less thick than the last time I had been here. The early spring air had been cold, but the summer nights were hot now, making the thick fog less dense.Th
Rise of the cardinal Chapter 52
The information that my mother gave me kept spinning in my head. Although it was not exactly what I had wanted to know, she touched on key points that I needed to hear. My heart squeezed, knowing I did not have the chance to say goodbye to her. It was like losing her all over again. It was less painful, but seeing my mother open a wound I had stopped picking at, hoping it would heal itself with time. I bit the inside of my cheeks, thinking about it. Xander snapped his fingers in front of my eyes and made me jump. I stumbled slightly, trying to match his walking speed, and lifted my gaze to see what was happening. Had he said something? “You’re not sleeping in the library again. You’re coming with me.” I sucked in a breath until my face became red. That was the part I had dreaded—us being alone. Silas had told Xander what I had planned, and every time Xander gave me a wounded look, it made my insides squirm. I had tried to excuse myself from both of them after
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